Minister visits various cost-effective projects of Waste Management being run under MGNREGA in TN

CHENNAI, MARCH 10: Jammu and Kashmir government plans to replicate some of the successful models of solid, liquid waste management of Tamil Nadu to tackle the sanitation issues in the state’s rural areas.

In this connection Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Law and Justice Abdul Haq along with a team of officers today visited some solid-liquid waste management projects in Tamil Nadu funded under MGNREGA to take first hand appraisal of the initiative which is highly cost effective.

The Minister also met his counterpart from Tamil Nadu, SP Velumani and discussed in detail about the successful implementation of various projects under Rural Development sector in the state.

SP Velumani informed the J&K RDD Minister about different schemes being implemented in Tamil Nadu. Minister was informed that the Department has managed to implement several projects of Solid Liquid waste management through MGNREGA which are conventional way of disposing garbage and very economical, effective and eco-friendly.

They informed the Minister that workers under MGNREGA are deputed in a Panchayat to collect garbage which is then sorted into bio-degradable and non-bio-degradable for further processing.

Minister said the sanitation, cleanliness and waste disposal and management is a major challenge before the Rural Development Department. He said in the absence of a proper waste management plan in rural areas, we are polluting the environment and many of the water bodies especially springs have got either polluted or wiped out. He said earlier less attention was paid to the waste management in rural areas but the 2014 floods taught us that focus needs to be given in rural areas as majority of the population lives there. He said majority of the streams and Nallahs have been converted into small drains due to reckless garbage dumping and the choking of these streams lead to devastation in 2014.

He said J&K government has already set up two pilot projects on the pattern of Tamil Nadu for Solid Liquid Resource Management (SLRM) in Bishnah and Akhnoor successfully, and these can be replicated in other villages at Panchayat level as well. He said the Bishnah SLRM seems to be a grand success as it manages to dispose waste of about 300 households using conventional and organic methods and even revenue is being generated from the project. He said soon every Panchayat will have its own waste management system and it will used to generate income.

Regarding SRLM, Abdul Haq said J&K government will soon enter into an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government as it has agreed to train and assist Self Help Groups (SHG) of J&K to improve our SHGs besides helping in capacity building.

Abdul Haq was informed that the Tamil Nadu state has one crore Self Help Groups (SHGs) which are functioning successfully from past many years. Abdul Haq said the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is keen to improve the socio-economic condition of women in J&K and SRLM is a strong tool through which the mission can be achieved.

The Minister later visited Anjur Panchayat in the outskirts of Chennai city wherein a nursery of 18 fruit and fodder trees have been raised by SHGs under MGNREGA. The job card holders mostly women in this nursery raise the nursery while seeds are provided under material component. The plants are then sold in market to generate income for the SHGs.

The Minister also visited Kacheepuram district to inspect working of Solid Waste Management System in the area. The Minister along with the officials were given a brief presentation by the host officials about the functioning of the project regarding mapping of habitations and segregation and dumping of waste through conventional means with the support of MGNREGA.

At Silavattam village of the Kancheepuram district, the Minister interacted with members of SHGs who are running village Panchayat Service Centre wherein they give services of internet to the people.

At Vellaputhur in Acharapakkam block where the SHGs run a waste management plant and have also established a nursery of fruit and fodder plants wherein about one lakh plant sapling are grown. The project is also funded under MGNREGA.